Fox Loves Lindelof’s ALIEN Prequel Script. Natalie Portman Is Top Contender To Star

This past July, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof was hired by 20th Century Fox to rewrite ALIEN prequel previously drafted by Jon Spaihts. A project which brings Ridley Scott back as the director. Today Vulture reported that the execs love Lindelof’s latest draft..

What they love about it is not just the story which is kept under wraps, but the website said Lindelof has constructed it in such a way that it would cost Fox no expensive set pieces that would add millions of dollars to the budget that’s already expected to be expensive as it is, set around $150 Million to $160 Million at this point.

Now, what about the lead star? As you know, Noomi Rapace was considered but she’s not not alone on the list, apparently there have been several other actresses who have met with Scott about the job of playing the female Colonial Marine in story set about 35 years before Scott’s first timeless classic, Alien starring Sigourney Weaver in her iconic badass role, Ripley.
So Rapace is up there, but number one on Fox’s list is Natalie Portman. Why am I not surprised?! Everybody wants a piece of Portman. WB wanted her to do Alfonso Cuaron‘s GRAVITY but she turned it down, she even recently decided not to star in the adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES on account of being too old for the role. She’s turning 30 and Elizabeth Bennett is about 20 years old.
I love Portman, I wish she could be in every single movie out there but I’d like to see this one goes to Rapace. It’d be cool to give her the opportunity, to see what she could do in such an anticipated project like this, besides, aren’t the lead stars supposedly the aliens themselves, it is after all a prequel. Rapace did well in the Swedish adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and all its sequels, now she wants to make it big in the States.
I’m sure the first Alien movie shot Weaver to fame, Scott should do the same favor for Rapace.

Wait, it’s not over yet. Yes Scott did say that this ALIEN prequel is gonna be “really tough, really nasty” but if you think he’s suggesting hard-R, you might wanna think again because the script is aimed at PG-13 rating

“The thinking,” explains one insider, “is that if the original Alien were released today, minus the F-bombs, you could still get a PG-13. Alien is a very Jaws-ian movie: There’s no sex, and while there’s lots of violence, most of it is off-camera. Maybe you’d have to cut away from certain scenes two seconds earlier, but it could be done.”

“cut away from certain scenes two seconds earlier”. Same method used in films like Live Free Or Die Hard and The Dark Knight. I guess it could work, it’d be nice if it was R but hey, I have faith in Lindelof anyway, the man is a f*ing genius.
This ALIEN Prequel is still untitled, though they have been thinking about several titles but haven’t decided on one.
And it won’t be treated as a reboot.. it’s just Scott’s 2nd ALIEN movie.